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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · hide · lie · wind · cap · board · jam · saw

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. board — to get on
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cap — a lid
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wind — moving air
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lie — to recline
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. board — a committee
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. scale — in music
  24. jam — in traffic

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com